Iniquity: a tale of guilt and love || Completed

3. The Blow Of Truth!

~ The lies didn't hurt as much as the fact to know that I wasn't considered worth the truth~

Pushkar dragged Suman with him to downstairs, to his room, where the usually smiling and pretty Preeti was sitting, tears adorning her chubby cheeks and sadness engulfing her huge eyes.

"Preeti? What happened?", Suman was baffled to see her sister crying, after all the only solace she had now was to know that her sister was happy and so was her family, who had now left for America with Nanu.

"Di!", Preeti immediately crashed in Suman's arms, " I am sorry di. I broke my promise", she was sobbing endlessly and Suman was confused since she could not get why.

" Preeti", suman held her by shoulders and made her look in the eye.

" What promise? What are you talking about?", Suman asked, her tone throaty, and Preeti gulped.

" I...I told Pushkar about what Ramnath uncle did to you, about our conversation that day", Preeti spoke and Suman was frozen. She had not expected this, so soon. Moreover she never wanted Pushkar to know about all that drama, about the cost she had to pay for his marriage with the love of his life.

With shivering hands that had somehow still held Preeti's, Suman turned to face Pushkar who was looking at the floor, his hands balled in tight fists, his face stony hard with his lips in a straight line. His face was a mix of emotions, a sadness that was tearing him apart to know that his happiness had cost his brother a hatred of life long, anger to know that his 'Sir' could do something that drastic, that the 'sumo' he knew who could fight for anything and everything had suffered in silence. He  had mixed emotions that was literally killing him and driving him to the edge and when he couldn't take it anymore, he turned and punched the wall beside him, hard, such that blood dripped out of it making a pool below.

"Pushkar!", Suman and Preeti both screamed at the same time, scared out of their wits. This was the first time that it seemed like Pushkar was really related to Shravan. The otherwise calm, jolly, laughing Pushkar who always knew how to calm his nerves had for the first time failed to let go off this strange anger and frustration that was building in.

" What the hell Pushkar? Have you gone nuts? How is this going to help?", Suman shouted as she dragged him to the bed and Preeti ran and brought the first aid box, draping a bandage around his hand alongwith wiping his tears.

"What would help then Sumo? What will? Why didn't you tell all these to Shravan bhayiya? Why did you let Sir rule you?", Pushkar burst taking Suman by surprise.

" You believe me?", Suman questioned, gaping at him, and Pushkar wanted to bang his head somewhere,at the moment.

" What sort of question is that Sumo? Of course I do", he said, gritting his teeth as two fat drops rolled out of her eyes.

" But, Shravan won't believe me Pushkar. He literally worships his father. He won't believe me over him. He won't believe that Ramnath uncle double gamed him twice, first time with Nirmala aunty and now with me", Suman sighed as she sat down beside him, Preeti picked up the first aid box and kept it aside, silently snuggling into her husband's chest. She needed strength to hear the entire truth too, unlike Suman she was not used to this darkness, selfishness, treachery and betrayals.

"What do you mean? What did he do with badi maa?", Pushkar asked, stunned out of his mind. The day was becoming more shocking than he thought it would be.

Suman looked up at him, she didn't know what they were going to make of it. But she knew it was important now to bring Shravan out of the hatred he had confined in the walls of his heart. Day after day, night after night, he was drowning himself in alcohol, in order to numb his blood pumping organ, and Suman knew he was in constant pain. But the way he dealt with it was wrong. The more bitter abuses he threw people's way, the more regret he will endure once the truth comes out in open.

" Nirmala aunty didn't divorce Ramnath uncle, nor did she flee away, as he had portrayed her to be. Mr Ahuja was her boss, and uncle under his manly prejudices and the blow to his ego that his wife payed for the family while he didn't, disliked him. He had an heart attack and died a untimely death, and Nirmala aunty rushed to cajole his only 10 year son, Aditya, but by the time she returned the next day, uncle had already fed Shravan his lies. The same day we had that fight, and the next day itself Shravan left for London. She came back, begged him to let her meet Shravan but he blackmailed her into it by saying that they would butcher Shravan's childhood in court hearings. She didn't have any way left, to contact Shravan and hence she had to oblige but over the years, the constant abuses and lies that he fed Shravan had already killed my chasmish, without even realizing it. And when he realized that I might know the truth since he saw me trying to reconcile him with aunty, he blackmailed me too with a blank cheque in return of pushing him away, or he won't let you guys marry. I threw the cheque on his face, but I had to agree to push Shravan away, since I didn't want you both or mamiji to suffer. But amidst everything, neither me nor he thought that Shravan might be shattered amidst our battles. I was so confident that Shravan would come to me and confess, that I didn't even consider the other possibility. And see where we have all landed today? I can't even see my Shravan in that man anymore", Suman broke down by the end of it, guilt of betraying Shravan along with the disgust she now harboured for him, after everything, breaking her. She sobbed endlessly as Pushkar took her in his embrace, along with Preeti and the months of anguish that Suman had held inside her, came out. The heart wrenching cries made Pushkar's eyes teary too while Preeti was already crying with her sister.

" We need to tell the truth to bhaiya, Sumo", Pushkar tried instigating her.

Suman looked up at them, an ancient sadness reflecting in her eyes. The contour of her cheeks had faded and her lips were quivering as she tried speaking.

" He won't listen. And even if he does, he won't trust me over his father. He won't...", And Suman broke down again while the duo tried cajoling her.

Totally unaware that outside their dore, someone else had heard the entire conversation too. Someone, who needed to, someone's whose life was going to change entirely based on this conversation.
Shravan walked up the stairs in daze, unable to believe what he had just heard.